Tuft-frame-threading device



Dec. 30, 1930. c. ALVORD 1,786,313

7 TUFT FRAME THREADING DEVICE Filed Marchl, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1 r INVENTOR Dec.- 30, 1930. c. ALVORD TUFI FRAME THREADING DEVICE Filed March 12, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l LI INVENTOR A: :1 IL v a 5 I. LU- *N MdaAmN rN u Mm N i I I I I l l I I I I |||lln fi mm m b h 8 I z \m l N \2 E w Dec. 30, 1930. c. ALVORD TUFT FRAME THHEADING DEVICE 3 Sheets-$heet 5 Filed March 12, 1928 INVENTOR IMT Patented Dec. 30, 1930 Wag caries CLINTON ALVORD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO VX ORGESTER'LOOM EVGEKS, OF WORCESTER, MIASSACHUSE'ITS TUFT-FRAME-THREADING DEVICE Application filed March 12, 1928. Serial No. 260,365.

My invention relates to carpet manufacture and aims to provide improved devices for rapidly and simultaneously threading the tuft yarns into the yarn passages of a broadside threading tuft frame similar to that described in pending application No. 124,388, filed July 23, 1926, by Charles C. Alvord or a frame of such a construction as disclosed in my co-pending application No.

\: 14 L783 filed on October 28, 1926.

The main object of my invention is to provide manually operated devices whereby the yarn passages of a broadside, hand threading tuft frame can be threaded simultaneously no matter how wide the frame may be.

A further object is to provide a holder for retaining and also spacing one or more comb clamps in register with the yarn passages of a tuft frame.

A still further object is to provide a method of threading all the yarn passages While the spools are located in their respective journal bearings on the tuft frame.

These methods and other objects of construction and arrangement are clearly shown in the drawings, explained in the description and specified in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an end elevation of my structure illustrating the main features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the comb clamp holder, and

Fig. 1. is an enlarged front elevation detail.

In the drawings, 1 and 2 are standards for sustaining the broadside threading tuft frame of which 3 is the main carrier bar. Any good method of suspension may be used but in this instance two laterally extending arms 6 and 7 are shown provided each with a vertical slot 8 and 9 into which the ears 10 of the two tuft frame dogs 11 are passed to place the frame in its approximate threading position.

The two chain springs 4 and 5 which are common to most tuft frames snap over the arms when the frame has been manually placed in position. While hanging from the arms 6 and 7 the frame naturally rests and abuts against the adjustable stops 12 which are located in the standards 1 and 2 and. are bound in location as desired by the check nuts 13. The tuft frame is provided with the customary bearings for holding the tuft yarn spools 45 which are inserted therein and remain there during the processes of threading and weaving. The spool springs let impart a suitable amount of braking action against the spool heads during the process of drawing ofi the tufts while weaving. During the threading operation I may choose to employ an additional amount of braking action on the spools by means of the springs 15 which are attached by the screws 16 to the bar 17 extending between the standards 1 and 2 and made fast thereto by some suitable means, not shown.

The tuft frame is registered longitudinally by any good method such as the expansive action'of the spring actuated plunger 18 slidably mounted on standard 2 so as to bear against the left hand end of the frame and, with yielding pressure, push it against the abutting element 19 located on the standard 1, there being sufficient clearance in the slots 8 and 9 in the arms 6 and 7 to allow of a suitable sideways motion of the ears 10 of the dogs 11, thus assuring that the yarn passages of all frames are always registered in the same place. As shown in Fig. 4, the first yarn passage 20 of all frames is a definite distance from the right hand end of the main carrier bar 3.

I freely mount a rocker shaft 21 in bearings 22 on the standards 1 and 2 and key upon it arms 24 and hand lever 25 whereby the shaft can be manually oscillated in its bearings. when an operative exerts force on the handle or upon any other convenient portion of the comb holder. The holder 26 is secured to the arms 24 by screws 27. The

shaft 21 is adjusted longitudinally and then A prevented from any endwise movement by means of the set screw collar 28 at one end of the shaft and by the keyed hand lever 25 at the other end.

The well known comb clamps 30, which are of uniform spacing with the tuft frame yarn passages, are located endwise in the holder by the registering pins 31 and in the drawings I have chosen to sh w three of these tuft yarn holding comb clamps regi Id the pins 31 so that longitudinally of the combs are spaced accurately i. cession, and it is for the above rea on that the middle comb clamp must be 0 t laterally from the outside combs because the toes not extend clear to the end of the comb burs so therefore the blank ends of adjacent combs overlap substantially as and for the purpose set forth. .Vhen thus located in the holder by means of the pins the teeth of the combs coincide in longitudinal spacing with the series of yarn passages 32- in the tuftframe.

The comb clamps are retained in position in the holder by means of the yielding jaws 33 and Set actuated by the extensible coil springs 35. The jaws are held down to the main body of the holder by the heads 3? of the screws 36 hearing on the underne th surface of the holder. Lateral movement is provided for by means of the slots 38 in the body of the holder and through which. the screws pass. The lips 39 and 4.0 extend over the comb clamps and prevent any upward strain due to the threading operation from raising the combs up out of their in the holder. This is one good method of holding the comb clamps so that they can be quickly and easily inserted in or similarly removed from the holder.

The upper portion of the holder with the yielding jaws 38 and 34 is located so to pass just under the threading projection ll as the holder swings about the axis of shaft 21 in order that the several strands of pile yarn secured in the comb clamps will be positioned by them closely up to projection 41-1 which is the point at which the pile yarns first enter the tuft frame preparatory to being guided into their respective yarn passages. The continued advance of the comb holder forces the tuft yarns past the ontrances preceding the normal yarn passag s moving the yarns in a direction practically right angles to the position assumed by them when fully threaded in the frame.

The operation of my manually actuated tuft frame threader is as follows :The spools of tuft yarn are inserted n tuft frame in their regular bearizru spool springs 14 located to give a brak action to the rotation of the spools. Additional braking action is imparted by the action of springs 15 when the frame has bhung in the standards. The comb clamps. which have been secured to their respective spools by string or any other good way released therefrom and each is inserted in seat in the comb holder. The free ends inc yarns project some distance through the combs but, due to the relative narrowness. of

wit

the comb spaces, the ya ns are secured quite firmly therein. The operative now turns back the spools until the various strands of tuft yarn are stretched from the periphery of the spools to the comb clamps, thus assuring that yarns at a point immediately above the comb clamps are in practical parallelism as they must be for accurate threading. The operative then grasps the handle E25 and moves the comb holder toward the broadside threadii'ig yarn passages of the tuft frame. The re ative position of shaft 21. to that of the suspended frame is ana that a slight tching action is imparted to the already ly taut strands as the comb holder swing; the clamps immediately under the threading projection 41. The braking action of the various springs let and 15 exceeds the force required to draw the aggregate strands through the combs, so the downward swing of the comb holder tightens the strands and they are drawn th ough the comb spaces until they all assume a practically uniform tension. The further advance of the comb holder continues to draw the strands through the comb spaces and keeps them relatively taut so that as the yarn immediately above the comb clamps, where it is the most accurately spaced, reaches a position where it comes into co-acting relation with the similarly spaced projections ll, the multiplicity of strands eu tor respectively between these projections which serve as guides to lead the stranch -nto the proper yarn spaces that the frame may be accurately threaded. The continued advance of the comb holder is checked by the stop 42 coiitacting the extension at on the handle lever at which. point in the thread he strands are all nicely entered into their rcspective passages.

The operative now manually turns the spools backwards and thereby draws the yarn strands entirely through the comb teeth at which position they are left projecting a suit able distance below the yarn passages of the tuft frame. The threaded frame is then removed from the holding structure and the pivoted comb holder is retracted to its front position where it is checked by the stop 43 impacting the handle lever and the cycle can be repeated on another frame.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. In a tuft frame threading device, means for longitudinally registering a plurality of comb clamps whereb 1c of (T-='. .g'u ous comb clamps will register each with the other in predetermined contizmit nsa d cl a: 1'; p1

spaced with the broadside threading entrances of the several yarn passages and equipt to carry several tuft yarn spools, means for positioning said frame, means for registering the multiplicity of strands of tuft yarn leading from the frame in spaced coincidence with said proje i me s u ing the registering means where oy the strands enter between said projections and are separated from each other thereby, and to be guided accurately for entering said yarn passages, said projections being located ad acent the path of the comb clamp and the outlet ends of the yarn passages.

3. In a tuft frame threading device, means operable for temporarily supporting a tuft frame provided with a plurality of yarn spools, means for registering a plurality of comb clamps and means for passing sa d comb clamps into threading engagement w1th said tuft frame, said registering means be1ng formed to hold adjacent comb clamps in spaced relation with each other, but with each alternate comb clamp offset laterally from the adjacent comb clamps whereby alternate comb clamps come into threading engagement s1- multaneously.

4. In a tuft frame threading apparatus, a frame having broadside threading entrances to its yarn the co inst means for positioning said frame, means for mounting several pile yarn spools thereon and above said entrances in a position for subsequent operations, a plurality of comb clamps, means for registering saio plurality of comb clamps in spaced relation to the yarn passages of said frame, and means to actuate said comb clamps in unison whereby the several strands of tuft yarn positioned by the comb clamps will engage with said broadside entrances and enter said passages, said clamps being laterally offset relative to each other.

5. In a tuft frame threading apparatus, a frame having broadside threading entrances to its yarn passages, the combination with means for positioning said frame, means for mounting pile yarn spools thereon and above said entrances in position for subsequent operations, means for registering a plurality of relatively disaligned comb clamps, comb clamps re istered by said second named means whereby the spacing of contiguous comb clamps will register with the yarn passages of the tuft frame.

6. In a tuft frame threading apparatus, a tuft frame provided with a plurality of projections extending beyond the side and spaced with the broadside threading entrances of the several yarn passages, said projections being adjacent the path of the comb cl mp and ti outlet ends of means for positioning sac l I l mounting a plurality of pile yarn spools thereabove in position for subsequent operations, means for registering the multiplicity of strands of tuft yarn leading from the frame in spaced coincidence with said projections, and means for actuating the registering means whereby to enter the strands be tween said projections and separate them from each other for accurate guiding into the yarn passages.

T. In a tuft frame threading apparatus, a frame having broadside threading entrances to its yarn passages and a plurality of tuft spools, the combination with means for positioning said frame, means for mounting said tuft spools thereon and above said entrances in position for subsequent operations, means for registering the teeth of comb clamps in spaced relation with the yarn passages of the tuft frame, and actuating means to move the comb clamps toward the frame whereby the several strands of tuft yarn guided and spaced thereby will enter said yarn passages in adirection substantially perpendicular to their normal position when threaded in said frame, said spool being positioned on the frame and :foovv the yarn passage entrances when said spool is threaded and said comb clamps being arranged in a relatively disaligned relation.

8. Means for holding and registering in operative threading position a tuft frame having broadside threading entrances to its yarn passages and means for holding and registering two or more comb clamps in spaced relation to the yarn passages of a frame held in said first named means whereby comb clamps thus held and registered can be actuated in unison whereby strands of tuft yarn positioned by such registered comb clamps will become engaged with and enter the broadside entrances of such a tuft frame held in said first named means, the comb clamps being relatively disaligned when registered by said second named means.

9. In a hand threading tuft frame threading device, means for positioning a tuft frame equipt with broadside threading yarn passages and provided with the usual appurtenances, means for registering and retaining comb clamp teeth in spaced relation with the passages of such a tuft frame when held in said positioning means, and means whereby a plurality of comb clamps when retained in said second named means may be moved into operative position whereby strands of tuft yarn extending from such a frame and held in such combs and guided thereby may be threaded into the yarn passages of the tuft frame, said second named means being formed to retain such comb clamps in a position where they are laterally offset relative one to the other.

10. A hand threading tuft frame threading device as described in claim #9 having a frictional means which is applied to the source of yarn supply when a tuft frame is positioned in said device, said means being in addition to the usual frictional means normally provided on a tuft frame for the yarn supply.

11. In a tuft frame threading device, a tuft frame provided with tuft yarn guiding passages, a multiplicity of yarn spools mounted in bearings on said frame and with tuft yarn strands on said spools where y the adjacent tuft strands on two abutting spools will be spaced at a substantial distance apart at the spools by the two heads thereof and the intervening Journal bearing holding the spools whereby the strands must approach each other at a pronounced angle to enter their respective yarn passages in said tuft frame, means for positioning said frame, comb clamps for spacing and holding the free ends of the yarn on each spool, and means for registering said comb clamps i whereby the tuft strands spaced thereby are registered with the yarn passages of said frame, said last named means being controlled so that it may be moved in a definite path to thread the tuft strands into the yarn '5 guiding passages of said tuft frame, said registering means being formed to hold said comb clamps in longitudinal spacing one with the other while laterally said comb clamps are disaligned.

12. In a tuft frame threading device means for longitudinally registering a plurality of comb clamps whereby the spacing of the teeth of contiguous comb clamps will register in predetermined continuity, said comb clamps being laterally offset relatively to each other, and means for securing the comb clamps against displacement.

13. In a device as in claim #12 in which the securing means for the comb clamps are formed for the quick and easy insertion of the comb clamps.

14. In a tuft frame threading apparatus, means for positioning a tuft frame, means for registering the teeth of a plurality of comb clamps in spaced relation with the yarn passages of a positioned tuft frame, and means whereby comb clamps registered by said second named means may be moved toward the frame whereby strands of tuft yarn guided and spaced by the teeth of comb clamps thus registered will enter the yarn passages of a tuft frame positioned by said first named means in a direction substantially perpendicular to their normal position when threaded in said frame, said comb clamps being arranged in disaligned relation.

15. In a tuft frame threading device means operable for positioning a tuft frame, means operable for holding and registering a plurality of relatively disaligned comb clamps in spaced relation with the yarn passages of a tuft frame positioned by said first named means, and means for altering the relative positions of said first and said second named means whereby strands of tuft yarn extending between the frame and the comb clamps held by said first and said second named means will be moved toward the passages of the frame and be subjected to static stress in a direction away from the CLINTON ALVORD. 

